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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Watcher’ On Netflix, A Series About A Family Being Scared Out Of Their Suburban Dream Home

Where to stream:.

The Watcher

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In 2014, the Broaddus family received a series of letters at their new Westfield, NJ home, revealing details about their family that no one knew. They all talked about the history of the house and that the letter writer was watching them at all times; they were signed “The Watcher”. Netflix and Ryan Murphy have adapted that story, first written in 2018 in New York magazine, and created an all-star limited series from it.

THE WATCHER : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A family drives along a tree-lined suburban street full of big, well-maintained homes.

The Gist: The Braddock family, who are looking to move from New York City into a suburban home, are looking at a house on 657 Boulevard in Westfield, NJ. Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora (Naomi Watts) see the massive house, on a lake, and both love it. They envision it as their dream home, where their kids Carter (Luke David Blumm) and Ellie (Isabel Gravitt) can play and hang out.

Nora finds out that the listing agent, Karen Calhoun (Jennifer Coolidge), is an old friend who went with her to RISD. Dean also encounters neighbors Pearl Winslow (Mia Farrow) and her special needs brother Jasper (Terry Kinney), who are both fascinated with the home’s dumbwaiter; she’s part of the town’s historical society. Another set of neighbors, Mitch (Richard Kind) and Mo (Margot Martindale) grumpily watch the open house on lawn chairs on their yard.

Dean decides that he’ll use all of the family’s savings, including retirement funds, to make a huge down payment. Shortly after they move in, though, a letter shows up at their house. It’s meticulously worded, talking about the house and that whoever wrote it has been watching it for 20 years, and that the person will continue to watch it. It’s signed “The Watcher.” The Braddocks take the letter to the police, where Detective Rourke Chamberland (Christopher McDonald) tells them that there’s not much they can do; they’ll test the DNA on the envelope but that’s it.

The Braddocks aren’t exactly ingratiating themselves to the neighbors; Mitch and Mo cut arugula on the Braddock’s side of their fence, then threaten him when he objects. Carter finds Jasper in the dumbwaiter, and Pearl crazily claims that previous owners let her brother use it. The Braddocks hire Dakota (Henry Hunter Hall), a young security company owner, to install a security system, but Dean is appalled when he notices his not-yet-16-year-old daughter Ellie taking a liking to him. Before the entire system goes online, someone comes in and kills Carter’s pet ferret. Det. Chamberland can’t do much, though, because there are no signs of forced entry.

Then another letter, one that specifically names them and their “young blood”, comes in the mail.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? In tone and content, The Watcher is reminiscent of The Amityville Horror . Because Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan are the show’s executive producers (Murphy directed the first episode), there are elements of their American Horror Story franchise in the mix as well.

Our Take: The story of The Watcher is based on a real-life case in Westfield, documented by New York Magazine in 2018. In the real-life case, the Broaddus family kept getting creepy letters from The Watcher and never ended up moving in; they sold the house for a loss and moved to a smaller house in the wealthy Union County town, and the case to this point has never been solved.

That alone would have made for an good film, a one-off psychological thriller that could have taken a little dramatic license by adding in some of the people in town who are annoyed that this new money is moving in and making changes to a 100-year-old house. But because this is a 7-episode limited series, and Murphy and Brennan just can’t help themselves, the story is larded down with kooky characters and threatening neighbors.

Yes, the show is brimming with amazing actors; we haven’t even mentioned Michael Nouri as a weird looky-loo asking odd questions during the open house. But under Murphy’s direction they turn what could have been a tense thriller into something ridiculous. Everyone involved with the Braddocks, from listing agent Karen to the neighbors to Dakota the young security expert, are watching something , and now we have to spend the next six episodes sorting out who’s watching who and why.

And yes, Murphy and Brennan are likely giving us their version of the themes in Big Little Lies, where the Braddocks strain to keep up appearances in a town like Westfield, because their very presence there means they have to be a “certain way.” We know Westfield relatively well, and that aspect isn’t that far off the mark of reality. But we wonder if those themes are going to be buried under the weight of Murphy and Brennan leaning on the odd neighbors and the threatening letters and scenes like a dead and bleeding ferret.

Sex and Skin: We see Dean and Nora having some day sex in their bedroom. Yes, they’ve been married a long time, but they seem to be attracted to each other… until the pressure of having the house, the odd neighbors and the threatening letters make Dean a paranoid mess.

Parting Shot: As we hear the words of The Watcher in the second letter, Dean runs around in his robe to see who might be lurking; he ends up in the middle of the road in front of their house.

Sleeper Star: How can we hate the presence of Martindale and Kind as the grumpy, nosy neighbors? They’re not the reason why the show doesn’t work.

Most Pilot-y Line: “They didn’t even use the wood to make baby cradles,” says Pearl to Dean after she talks about a 90-year-old tree the previous owners cut down. Yeesh. Weird.

Will you stream or skip the scary suburban drama #TheWatcher on @netflix ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) October 13, 2022

Our Call: SKIP IT. In another producers hands, The Watcher could have been a taut, tense thriller. But with Murphy and Brennan at the helm, it becomes more campy than tense, and even a stellar cast can’t save the show from itself.

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

Ryan Murphy
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‘The Watcher’ Sucks the Suspense From a True-Life Horror Story: TV Review

By Daniel D'Addario

Daniel D'Addario

Chief TV Critic

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The Watcher. (L to R) Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock, Bobby Cannavale as Dean Brannock in episode 106 of The Watcher. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022

As it’s gone on, Ryan Murphy’s Netflix deal has revealed how many topics fascinate him — and how rigidly fixed in the past are his manners of addressing them.

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‘the watcher’ review: ryan murphy’s starry netflix real-estate chiller isn’t worth the investment.

The drama centers on a couple (Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale) whose dream home becomes a nightmare when they start receiving threatening anonymous letters.

By Angie Han

Television Critic

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Jennifer Coolidge as Karen Calhoun, Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock, Bobby Cannavale as Dean Brannock in The Watcher.

Sometime in 2014, a family who’d just moved into their dream home in the upscale suburb of Westfield, New Jersey, started getting ominous letters from someone identifying themselves as “ The Watcher .” Four years later, those events were chronicled by Reeves Wiedeman in a New York article that immediately went viral.

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The Horrifying True Story Behind Netflix’s <i>The Watcher</i>

The Horrifying True Story Behind Netflix’s The Watcher

A couple’s dream home turns into a total nightmare in Netflix’s The Watcher . The limited series, from creator Ryan Murphy, is based on a true story that is almost too horrifying to believe.

In the series, streaming now, Dean and Nora Brannock (played by Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts ) move to an idyllic New Jersey neighborhood where they assume their kids will be cocooned from the evils of the world. But these affluent suburbs hide something sinister. Shortly after settling into their new home, the couple starts receiving threatening letters from someone calling themselves “The Watcher.” This unwelcome penpal begins to terrorize the family in ways that should make any American Horror Story fan feel right at home.

The Watcher, which also stars Jennifer Coolidge and Rosemary Baby ’s Mia Farrow , gives AHS: Murder House a run for its money by taking more than a few liberties with the frighteningly true story on which it’s based. But that doesn’t mean the real events aren’t a terrifying tale all their own. Keep reading, if you dare, to learn the real story behind Netflix’s latest horror series that might make you think twice before signing your next lease.

Read More: Breaking Down The Watcher ’s Fantastically Frustrating Conclusion

When did The Watcher send the first letter?

The Brannocks seen in The Watcher are based on the real life couple Derek and Maria Broaddus. Three days after the couple closed on their Westfield, New Jersey home in June 2014, they received their first letter from a person known as “The Watcher.” The white envelope with big block letters was addressed to “the new owner” of the six bedroom, three and a half bathroom estate that was built in 1905. Inside was a typed note that started cordially enough, according to the 2018 New York Magazine story that inspired the Netflix series: “Dearest new neighbor at 657 Boulevard, allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

The tone of the message quickly became far less friendly. The anonymous writer claimed that the home located 45 minutes outside of New York City had “been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming. My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time.” The letter questioned whether the Broadduses knew about the history of the 3869 square foot single family home. “Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here?” the writer asked. “I will find out.” (The police reportedly searched the home and found nothing in the walls.)

The letter-writer seemed to have done their due diligence on the Broaddus family, scolding the couple for making renovations to the home and threatening to kidnap their three children. “Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children?” the mysterious stalker wrote. “Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me.” The letter had no return address, but closed with an ominous line: “Welcome my friends, welcome. Let the party begin.” It was signed “The Watcher” in a typed cursive font.

The following day, Derek and Maria discovered that the previous owners of their new home, John and Andrea Woods, had also received a strange letter from someone calling themselves The Watcher. In the days before they moved out, the Woodses got a letter in which the writer claimed they had been keeping a close eye on the house. The couple, who had lived there for 23 years and had never heard from The Watcher before, assumed it was a prank and promptly threw the letter out without giving it much thought. The police, however, took the letter seriously, and advised the Broadduses not to tell anyone else about the note, especially their new neighbors who were now suspects.

What did The Watcher do next?

Two weeks after the first letter, another one arrived. “The workers have been busy and I have been watching you unload carfuls of your personal belongings,” The Watcher wrote. “The dumpster is a nice touch. Have they found what is in the walls yet? In time they will.” This time around, The Watcher referred to the Broadduses by name (misspelling their surname as “Mr. and Mrs. Braddus”). Derek and Maria grew worried by how much information this person knew about them and their family, including the names and birth order of their children.

Due to the renovation—and the creepy letter—the family had yet to move into their new home and The Watcher seemed anxious to see them do so. The writer questioned whether they would let their kids, who the writer referred to as “young blood,” play in the basement. “Or are they too afraid to go down there alone? I would [be] very afraid if I were them. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs you would never hear them scream,” they wrote. In that same note, The Watcher let the family know that they “pass by many times a day. 657 Boulevard is my job, my life, my obsession. And now you are too Braddus family.”

After the second letter, Derek and Maria stopped bringing their kids to what was supposed to be their new home. Weeks later, they received another letter. “Where have you gone to?” The Watcher wrote. “657 Boulevard is missing you.”

Did the Broaddus family ever move into 657 Boulevard?

No. In fact, six months after closing on the property, purchasing the house for $1.4 million, they put it back on the market. They were unable to find a buyer due to the creepy letters, which the Broadduses chose to disclose to anyone who came and looked at the property. “I don’t know how you live through what we did and think you could do it to somebody else,” Derek told New York Magazine.

The Broadduses attempted to sell the house again in 2016 for $1.25 million, but the letters were a no-go for potential buyers. The family’s real estate lawyer suggested they sell the home to a developer who would tear down the place, a move that would have required the Westfield Planning Board’s blessing, since dividing the lot into two homes would go against local code. The Broaddus’ request was unanimously rejected after a heated four-hour board meeting in which many locals aired their worries that tearing down 657 Boulevard would lower the cost of their homes and ruin the aesthetic of the neighborhood.

Months later, the Broadduses were able to rent out the home, but shortly after the new family moved in, The Watcher sent another letter. It was dated February 13, which was the same day the Broadduses gave a deposition in a legal complaint they filed in June 2015 against the home’s previous owners The Woodses, who they claimed should have warned them about The Watcher. (The complaint was later dismissed by a judge.) “You wonder who The Watcher is? Turn around idiots,” read the letter, which arrived two and a half years after the Broadduses bought the home. “Maybe you even spoke to me, one of the so-called neighbors who has no idea who The Watcher could be. Or maybe you do know and are too scared to tell anyone. Good move.”

The new letter was more aggressive than the previous three with the writer complaining about the media attention the Broadduses had brought to “my neighborhood,” but celebrated how the locals had “saved the soul of 657 Boulevard with my orders.” The Watcher even threatened revenge on Derek and Maria, seemingly plotting their deaths: “Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away but makes you fell [sic] sick day after day after day after day after day.” (Surprisingly, the renters at the time didn’t leave the house, but requested the Broadduses install additional security cameras.)

The fourth—and final—letter ended with The Watcher declaring, “You are despised by the house. And The Watcher won.”

Was The Watcher ever caught?

From the beginning, police suspected that someone in the Westfield neighborhood was behind the letters. Initially they believed Michael Langford, the Broaddus’ next door neighbor whose family had lived there since the ‘60s and who was described by another neighbor as “kind of a Boo Radley character,” according to New York Magazine. There wasn’t much hard evidence against Langford, and he was never arrested. When a later investigation revealed that the DNA on the envelope was female, authorities investigated Michael’s sister, Abby Langford, a real estate agent, and the home’s previous owner Andrea Woods. Neither was a match. Even Maria’s DNA was tested, but she was quickly cleared of any wrongdoing. Another possible suspect, a man who was into “really dark video games” and often played as a character named “The Watcher,” according to his girlfriend, was also dismissed after he failed to show up for multiple meetings with authorities.

Some people in the neighborhood told New York Magazine that it was possible the Broadduses were behind the offputting letters, suggesting the couple had realized they couldn’t afford the home and wrote the creepy notes themselves in order to get out of the sale. Some even suggested that the couple were scammers looking for a movie deal. (The Broadduses reportedly turned down several offers and sent a cease and desist letter to Lifetime after the network released a 2016 movie called The Watcher , inspired by their experience.)

Derek did admit to sending anonymous letters to his neighbors who had bashed him on Facebook nearly three years after The Watcher had contacted him. He hoped the notes signed, “Friends of the Broaddus Family,” would help him clear his family’s name, but it only made him feel more defeated by the situation. “It’s like cancer,” he told New York Magazine in 2018 about the whole ordeal. “We think about it everyday.” Despite an extensive investigation by Westfield police, The Watcher has yet to be caught .

What happened to the house at 657 Boulevard?

In the summer of 2019, the Broadduses sold the home for $959,000, resulting in a $400,000 loss for a house they never lived in. In October, New York Magazine ’s The Cut reported that when the new owners moved in, the Broadduses gave them a note via their real estate attorney: “We wish you nothing but the peace and quiet that we once dreamed of in this house.” They also included a photo of The Watcher’s handwriting just in case any new letters arrived. To date, none have.

The Broadduses, who moved to a smaller home in Westfield, told The Sun Online in October that they are traumatized by their experience with The Watcher and are “trying to move on” with their lives. They said the Netflix series, which they do not plan to watch, did not make them rich, or even fully cover the losses incurred from the sale of their house.

The identity of The Watcher remains a mystery, despite intriguing wrinkles in the case since New York Magazine published the Broaddus’ story in 2018. After the article came out, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office asked those who lived near 657 Boulevard to voluntarily submit DNA samples. None of the neighbors were a match, though one neighbor, named Malcolm Mannix, took issue with the search. But, according to The Cut, there is no one by the name of Malcom Mannix who lives in Westfield. Mannix was a 1960s TV show in which a police officer named Art Malcom helps private investigator Joe Mannix solve crimes. In the original note to the Broadduses, the writer mentioned that their father had watched 657 Boulevard in the ‘60s. An odd development, to be sure, but not enough to warrant an arrest.

The case has also been tied to Me and Orson Welles author Robert Kaplow , who worked as a high school English teacher two towns over from Westfield, and has talked about his affection for the wealthy New Jersey town he grew up in during the ‘60s. Former students claimed to The Cut that he had talked in his classes about the obsession he had with a home in Westfield and had written at least 50 letters to not the owners, but the home itself. (In another strange coincidence, Kaplow’s brother, lawyer Richard Kaplow , lived half a block away from 657 Boulevard and even represented the Woodses in the legal complaint the Broadduses filed against them.) Speaking with The Cut, Robert Kaplow denied being The Watcher. He claimed that it was a different house nearby that he had been writing to and the owners of that home actually let him housesit due to his kind, non-threatening letters. While Robert did not say why he had started writing to this specific home, in 2009, he said that “Westfield remains for me the geography of my youth. I’m still very drawn to the place.”

The investigation remains inactive, according to the prosecutor’s office, and there are no lead suspects. However, the case isn’t closed. Authorities believe the suspect to be older, female, and someone who lives near 657 Boulevard, based on the DNA evidence found on the envelope, and say the only way to solve the case is via confession or a DNA match. But if The Watcher decides to write again, the Internet will be watching.

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Who Was The Watcher? Every Theory & Update

The watcher ends realistically (and that's bad), the watcher causing spike in nightmares & sleepless nights for netflix users.

The ending of The Watcher reveals a hidden secret meaning, keeping true to the real unsolved case it's based on.
Characters become embroiled in paranoia and trauma due to mysterious letters, unveiling dark truths in the end.
The power of paranoia and the unknown neighbor is the central theme, leaving viewers in suspense and fear.

The ending of Netflix’s The Watcher has proved divisive, yet the series' ambiguous coda has a hidden secret meaning. The Watcher is a Ryan Murphy miniseries loosely based on the true story of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale play the fictionalized couple Nora and Dean Braddock, who move into a new home with their family and then begin receiving anonymous threatening letters warning them against making any alterations to the house.

The Watcher takes many major liberties with its real-life inspiration. Most of the story depicted on screen is fiction, outside the mysterious letters, the location of the house, and the paranoia and trauma that they caused for the couple involved. After seemingly revealing that the titular threat is Theodora (Noma Dumezweni), a private investigator whom the Braddocks have hired, the series finale of The Watcher ends without ever revealing the true identity of the letter-writer. In this regard, The Watcher is true to the real-life story upon which the show is based, as the case remains unsolved to this day.

The Netflix series The Watcher is an atypical crime drama that ends ambiguously. Here are the most likely suspects and theories from the show.

What Happens In The Watcher’s Ending?

It's revealed that theodora sent the letters.

At the end of The Watcher , the characters Nora and Dean Braddock discover that their private investigator, Theodora, has been hospitalized with cancer. In what seems like a classic twisty ending to a Netflix mystery show, the dying Theodora admits that she was the one who sent the letters. She explains that she had bought 657 Boulevard because it was her dream home, only to be forced to sell it when she couldn’t afford the place.

When her husband died, she realized he had hidden away over $1 million. Thus, she could in fact afford the house, leading her to concoct a bizarre scheme to pen threatening letters in order to convince the Braddocks to leave the house.

Why Did Theodora Claim She Was The Watcher?

She was trying to provide closure for the braddock family.

Noma Dumezweni as a private investigator in The Watcher

Theodora explains she hired actors to play the pig-tailed woman who appeared in Dean and Nora’s bedroom, all in an attempt to get her house back. However, at Theodora’s funeral, her daughter refutes these claims, and then the Braddocks learn from their neighbor Mo ( Margo Martindale, from the cast of Mrs. America ) that Theodora never lived in the house.

In The Watcher 's rare, dark, double twist ending, it turns out that Theodora was lying as she lay dying, trying to give the Braddocks some closure by claiming to be the Watcher since she was never able to uncover the actual assailant who tormented the couple while she was on the case.

What Happened To Karen In 657 Boulevard?

Much to the shock of viewers, karen wasn't the villain.

Jennifer Coolidge & Naomi Watts in The Watcher

When the ending of The Watcher reveals Theodora was innocent after all, the suspicious realtor Karen ( The White Lotus 's Jennifer Coolidge) seems to be a prime suspect. She made no secret of the fact that she wanted 657 Boulevard for herself, she could have been the girl in the pigtails, and she could have written the letters that threatened the Braddocks. As a realtor, Karen was also likely to know all about the house’s secret subterranean tunnels and could have used these to scare the Braddocks into moving out.

The reason that Karen’s dog is killed and why she receives a letter from the Watcher is so that The Watcher ’s ending can firmly disprove the possibility of her being the title villain.

However, like many Ryan Murphy movies and shows , the twist ending of The Watcher completely disproves this theory when Karen does move into 657 Boulevard after the Braddocks leave the house. She survives about 48 hours in the house before she is chased out by a masked assailant, and in that time, she suffers more than the Braddocks did during their entire residence in the house.

The reason that Karen’s dog is killed and why she receives a letter from the Watcher is so that The Watcher ’s ending can firmly disprove the possibility of her being the title villain. Since Karen is the most obvious suspect, her traumatic experience is necessary to make it clear that The Watcher ’s ending removes any lingering suspicion from her character.

A man in black stands under a street light staring at a house

In his miniseries The Watcher, Ryan Murphy attempts to balance truth and crime-series tropes. However, his version is too realistic to be satisfying.

Was John Graff A Real Person?

John graff in the watcher was fictional (but based on a real murderer).

Like many true-crime shows on Netflix, The Watcher plays fast and loose with the facts of the case that it is based on. Despite what some sources claim, John Graff was not a real person. The character is based on real-life murderer John List, who did tragically kill his family in Westfield, New Jersey.

List had nothing to do with the 657 Boulevard case and no connection to the story

However, List had nothing to do with the 657 Boulevard case and no connection to the story, making John Graff a fictional creation with a grim real-life inspiration. The reason that The Watcher ’s ending adds Graff to the show’s list of characters is likely to accentuate comparisons between the real-life story and more explicitly supernatural scary stories, such as The Amityville Horror .

Is Dean Braddock Becoming The Watcher In The End?

It would be too much of a creative deviation for him to become the villain.

Bobby Cannavale As Dean Brannock in The Watcher

Dean Braddock’s inability to save his family from the Watcher causes the character to obsess over the villain, leading his and Nora’s marriage into trouble . Like Jack Torrance in The Shining or George Lutz, the patriarch of the unfortunate family seen in The Amityville Horror , Dean Braddock eventually flirts with outright madness by the time The Watcher ’s dark ending rolls around. During a therapy session, he brings up the house unprompted, and, when he tells Nora he is at a job interview, he secretly revisits 657 Boulevard and watches the new inhabitants of the house as they collect their mail.

The show is still based on a real-life case, and the real people involved weren’t accused of fabricating the letters, nor did they torment the next inhabitants of the home.

However, this doesn’t mean Dean is now the Watcher. For one thing, Dean doesn’t do anything actively malevolent. For another, Nora also visits the house immediately after he leaves, meaning she also hasn’t been able to let go of the events that transpired there. Most importantly, although The Watcher follows Netflix's true crime show protocol and changes a lot of facts.

The show is still based on a real-life case, and the real people involved weren’t accused of fabricating the letters, nor did they torment the next inhabitants of the home. As such, even with its fictionalized elements, it would be too much for The Watcher ’s ending to imply otherwise.

What The Watcher’s Ending Really Means

The netflix series is about the power of paranoia.

Pearl and Jasper Winslow standing side by side

The Watcher ’s ending is not as straightforward as those of many other Netflix shows, but that is only because it is based on a real-life unsolved case. The lack of resolution in the real-life story is the primary reason that The Watcher ’s ending can’t simply unmask its villain. However, the other reason that the Netflix hit can’t have a tidy conclusion is that The Watcher is about the terror of not knowing your neighbor, of never being sure who you live near and what they are up to, and of the impact that a culture of anonymity has on small communities.

The Watcher is about the terror of not knowing your neighbor, of never being sure who you live near and what they are up to, and of the impact that a culture of anonymity has on small communities.

The Watcher casts suspicion on almost all of its cast and exonerates almost none of them precisely so that the Netflix show can prove that there is no knowing who the Watcher was, and that might be the scariest ending of all.

Naomi Watts As Nora Brannock in The Watcher

Netflix has conducted a psychology study that shows a significant increase in nightmares and difficulty sleeping for The Watcher viewers.

How The Watcher Ending Sets Up Season 2

The Watcher season 2 has been confirmed, despite the fact that the Netflix true-crime show was initially billed as a miniseries. The ending of season 1 was incredibly ambiguous, especially since it wasn't originally intended to have a follow-up, and it mirrored the mystery of its real life inspiration. As such, what could happen in season 2 remains incredibly ambiguous, but there are a few hints from the ending of The Watcher which could be clues.

So far little has been revealed of what the story will be and how season 1 set it up

Firstly, Dean's descent into obsession could become a key plot point when The Watcher returns. While he himself isn't being set up as the Watcher, his growing preoccupation with the house and the identity of those stalking his family may lead to him remaining to be involved. There's also, of course, the fate of Karen to consider. She was chased out of the house by the real Watcher, meaning they're still out there and definitely do exist. This means there's still much for Dean to uncover should he return.

However, there's also the chance that the show will take on more of an anthology set-up. This would mean that The Watcher season 2 focuses on a different case of suburban horror, rather than continuing the story of the Braddock family and 657 Boulevard. The second season was confirmed by Netflix back in 2022, and so far little has been revealed of what the story will be and how season 1 set it up, but it's likely that when the first trailers eventually arrive it will be much clearer which key details from The Watcher ending will remain relevant in the show moving forward.

The Watcher (2022)

Based on the true story and the New York Magazine article that covered it by Reeves Wiedeman, the Watcher is a true crime limited series created by the minds behind the American Horror Story franchise. The story follows Nora Brannock and her husband, Dean Brannock, as they move into the home of their dreams. However, those dreams become nightmares once they find themselves the targets of an endless string of threatening letters from an individual known as "The Watcher," a man who stalks them at every turn. With a neighborhood full of just as many secrets and unwelcoming characters, the Brannocks may have taken on more than they can handle.

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‘The Watcher’ Review: An Outstandingly Terrifying Depiction of a True Story

Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock and Bobby Cannavale as Dean Brannock in episode 106 of "The Watcher."

“The Watcher,” Netflix’s newest terrifying miniseries, is not just a scary show — the horrifying tale is a real cold case. The miniseries follows Dean and Nora Brannock, a couple based on the real story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, who bought a home in Westfield, New Jersey in June 2014. In “The Watcher,” the family’s beautiful new suburban home soon turns into a nightmare when they begin receiving eerie letters from a person who calls themself “The Watcher.” With their livelihood, safety, and image at stake, Nora (Naomi Watts) and Dean Brannock (Bobby Cannavale) are willing to do anything they can to find out who is terrorizing their lives.

Watts and Cannavale effectively bring to life compelling dialogue and powerful imagery that transforms the series. The miniseries demands more than suspense alone, and both lead actors are outstanding in their increasingly desperate portrayal of parents motivated to do anything to keep their family and home safe. Ultimately, their performances build tension on screen even more than the figure of “the watcher,” as in each horror sequence, the camera focuses mainly on the Brannocks’ faces and their convincing desperation for answers.

Indeed, the miniseries is not just eerie, but suspensefully terrifying. “The Watcher” sets itself apart from other stalker films by focusing on unexpected sources of fear apart from the main antagonist. Throughout the series, the Brannock’s neighbors are a searingly real source of terror. Each of the Brannock’s neighbors plays a distinct role in the feeling of suspense that builds with each episode — the weird, incomprehensible quirks of the characters are simply unnerving. In turn, viewers find themselves not only frightened by a threatening stalker, but uneasy in the scenes of the mysterious neighbors.

Additionally, characters such as Karen Coulhoun (Jennifer Coolidge) give the series a dimension beyond pure horror — an enticing balance of humorous and scary moments allows the miniseries to shine. Coolidge, best known for similar comedic roles, also displays her ability in the horror genre. Through scenes of witty remarks and unapologetic banter, Coolidge initially provides a much-needed comic relief to the otherwise dark series, making her screams of horror at the end of the series that much more effective.

Moreover, the series’s soundtrack successfully creates a lasting sense of unease and uncertainty. Eerie, repetitive tones turn seemingly normal shots into frightening ones, and the show’s simple yet creepy main theme is sure to stay in viewers’ heads longer than they may wish. Thus, the series effectively establishes a murder mystery feel that keep viewers invested in solving the case.

Accordingly, audiences may be disappointed to discover that the mystery of “The Watcher” remains unsolved at the very end of the series, making for an unsatisfying — but lingering — conclusion. Whether it be the author of the letters, the possible neighbor involvement, or questions about the suspicious private investigator, the series offers many possible suspects that viewers can speculate about while watching and after finishing the series. Viewers, undoubtedly fascinated by the cold case, are likely to spend hours thinking and learning more about the Broadduses long after the credits roll.

—Staff writer Monique I. Vobecky can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @moniquevobecky .

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The Watcher, Netflix review — true-crime thriller is all sensation and excess

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Surrender to the Batshittery That Is The Watcher

“It knows what scares you” was the tagline for 1982’s Poltergeist , a horror classic that doubled as a cautionary tale about the dark side of desirable suburban real estate. The Watcher , the new Netflix series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, is also a suburban-real-estate cautionary tale that knows what scares you. More than that, though, it knows what obsesses you.

This limited series — based loosely on the story Reeves Wiedeman wrote for this magazine about a couple who bought their dream house in Westfield, New Jersey, only to be terrorized by anonymous letters from someone who creepily called themselves “The Watcher” — is subtextually a commentary on a variety of contemporary fixations. Among them: the housing market, home renovation, conspiracy theories, alcoholism, social media, and, of course, money. Murphy, Brennan, and their fellow writers and filmmakers (several of whom also worked on the duo’s extremely popular Dahmer ) throw a kitchen sink of issues and true-crime tropes into these episodes, as well as a kitchen island controversially accented with butcher-block countertops. While that approach has its problems, namely an abundance of plot holes and red herrings, it makes for absorbing television, in part because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Watcher can be over the top, but like the best of Murphy’s work, it knows it’s being over the top and often leans into its own excessiveness with a wink and a smirk. This is an addictive work of television that invites us to examine our own frivolous, sometimes dangerous addictions.

Like the true story on which it is based, The Watcher follows a married couple, Dean and Nora Brannock (Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts), as they purchase a majestically large house an hour outside of New York City at the coveted address of 657 Boulevard. Like the couple that had this experience in real life, they begin to receive letters from an anonymous writer who says they are watching the house and implies it may be haunted. The details in the letters — about the Brannocks’ children, Ellie (Isabel Gravitt) and Carter (Luke David Blumm), and the family’s behavior — become increasingly specific and disturbing. The Broadduses, the couple who actually went through this traumatic experience, never moved into 657 Boulevard. But in the Netflix version, the Brannocks, who sink literally all of their savings into the property, fully occupy the home while attempting to figure out who’s harassing them and why, an effort that, particularly for Dean, becomes all consuming.

Beyond that basic outline, Murphy and Brennan, who between them share co-writing credits on all seven episodes (Murphy also directs two), take significant liberties with the truth, which is probably for the best since the Broadduses apparently asked to make the fictional family resemble them as little as possible . Consequently, a series of events that was genuinely bizarre becomes even freakier once the writers start sprinkling in even more wild details. Ryan Murphy’s Law very much applies here: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong in the most batshit way possible. Within the context of The Watcher , I really do mean that as a compliment.

Not long after settling in and starting to refurbish their kitchen, the Brannocks establish tense relationships with several of their neighbors, including Mitch (Richard Kind) and Mo (Margo Martindale), a husband and wife who have no compunctions about coming into the Brannocks’ yard to pluck arugula. “Let’s go make the most delicious fucking salad of our entire lives,” Mo hisses in Dean’s direction after he shouts at them for trespassing in the name of lettuce collection.

Eccentric local historian Pearl Winslow (an astutely cast Mia Farrow) and her intellectually disabled brother Jasper (Terry Kinney) also have a tendency to pop up unannounced, sometimes even in the house’s dumbwaiter. The people that Nora and Dean turn to for help — an arrogant, unmotivated local police detective (Christopher McDonald); a young security specialist named Dakota (Henry Hunter Hall), who takes an interest in Ellie; and friend/real-estate agent Karen Calhoun (Jennifer Coolidge) — offer only modest help. They have better luck once they hire Theodora Birch (an authoritative Noma Dumezweni), a private investigator more willing to follow leads than the cops. But that “better luck” propels Dean down a rabbit hole of paranoia and mad theorizing, jeopardizing his marriage and his career while turning everyone in the Brannocks’ orbit into a potential suspect.

How easy it is to get sucked into true crime, whether it involves you personally or is something you’re consuming as content — this is a dynamic that The Watcher understands well. This show shouts out every cockamamie possible explanation for those letters with the deranged glee of someone who just snorted a mountain of Adderall, watched every episode of the original The Staircase as well as the scripted version of The Staircase, and is extremely eager to share their many thoughts about the owl theory. Watching The Watcher is undeniably a rush, so much so that even when certain plot twists don’t make sense — and trust me that many of them do not — it doesn’t even matter. Forget about logic, just give us another hit of the sweet, preposterous idea that there’s an underground blood cult terrorizing Bobby Cannavale.

It helps, too, that the cast is so fully committed. Cannavale and Watts are not shy about leaning into their characters’ less attractive qualities. Nora’s a bit of a social climber, while Dean is impulsive and not always honest, which bolsters the notion that we should be wary of everyone in this auspicious Jersey Zip Code. Coolidge makes sure that Karen really lives up to her name — “We’re not ready yet,” she tells a server at the local country club, “and my napkin smells like vinegar” — and infuses her with a wonderfully odd combination of real-estate agent chipperness and Debbie Downer bluntness. “I don’t want to bum you out,” she tells Nora at one point with utter sincerity, “but I don’t think Dean’s going to be employed much longer.”

Then there’s Farrow, the onetime Rosemary’s Baby star who seems to be having a ball as Pearl, the kind of busybody chatterbox who quickly becomes your worst nightmare if she engages you in conversation. She regularly delivers hilarious lines — “Butcher-block countertops? Are you turning your house into a delicatessen?” she squawks at Dean — with a perfectly measured deadpan that makes it clear Pearl has no idea how strangely she comes across. The Watcher ’s evocation of classic horror doesn’t end with Farrow’s presence, either. The desaturated color palette and piano-centered score composed by Morgan Kibby and David Klotz, and some of the story beats, are reminiscent of not only Rosemary’s Baby but also ’70s scare fare like The Omen , The Exorcist, and John Carpenter’s original Halloween . Unlike Dahmer or much of American Horror Story , this Murphy project doesn’t overdo it with the gore. This is a work of psychological horror, pretty much full stop.

Murphy & Co. couple that vibe with an obvious desire to capture the zeitgeist of the COVID era. Many of the societal concerns that have taken center stage since the pandemic began — cancel culture, QAnon, religious extremism, the sense that danger cannot be escaped even in supposed safe spaces like one’s own home — are aggressively nodded to here. The longer you watch The Watcher , the more you start to feel like Dean, untethered, like you’re living in a world that has become completely cockeyed. Yes, there is a long list of quibbles and questions that can legitimately be raised about just about everything that happens in this series. But that also feels weirdly appropriate. The Watcher is a series about how it feels when nothing makes sense anymore. Regardless of where you live, we’ve all been there.

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The Watcher review – Ryan Murphy and Netflix deliver another bizarre true-crime story

Ryan Murphy delivers another eminently binge-able true-crime story, though thankfully without the exploitative ickiness of his recent work.

This review of The Watcher is spoiler-free.

Ryan Murphy is currently on a roll at Netflix , though I suppose you could quibble about whether “roll” is exactly the right term. His latest bit of business was Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story , a lurid and uncomfortable retelling of Jeffrey Dahmer’s crimes, imprisonment, and death, with long-time Murphy collaborator Evan Peters in the title role. The Watcher is a similar bit of work; a dramatization of a true story that took place in New Jersey, in which a suburban family was terrorized by letters from an anonymous stalker calling themselves “The Watcher” and implying that their children would imminently be used as blood sacrifices.

I mean, talk about neighbors from hell.

Given the immediately enticing mystery and the lack of any clear conclusion, there’s no wonder that Murphy was interested in the story. He has stuffed his version of it with fine actors and stretched it across seven pacey episodes in a limited series that has all of his hallmarks without the unwelcome feeling of tastelessness surrounding the Dahmer project. The result is an eminently binge-able true-crime story that is actually enhanced by being plucked from reality and doesn’t present any awkward moral problems given the lack of actual victims in the story itself.

Of course, “victims” is a relative term. The family at the story’s heart, the Broadduses, were obviously victimized, but that isn’t quite the same thing as the litany of murdered young men whose families had to watch Murphy and Netflix profit from their misery. There will always be an element of this in any dramatization of a true story, but the more morally manageable it is the better off everyone feels, and I never felt as uncomfortable here as I did while watching and reviewing Monster . Mileage may vary, but the essential weirdness — which would, ironically, be too farfetched to be believed if we didn’t know it actually happened — gives The Watcher the appearance of pure fiction.

The Broadduses have been renamed here. Now they’re the Brannocks: parents Dean ( Bobby Cannavale ) and Nora ( Naomi Watts ), and kids Ellie ( Isabel Gravitt ) and Carter ( Luke David Blumm ). 657 Boulevard is surrounded by eccentrics, and they all quickly become suspects — siblings Pearl ( Mia Farrow ) and Jasper ( Terry Kinney ) Winslow on one side, husband and wife Mitch ( Richard Kind ) and Mo ( Margo Martindale ) on the other. Even those who seem like allies apparently can’t be trusted. Karen ( Jennifer Coolidge ), the real estate agent who sold the Brannocks the house in the first place, is an old friend of Nora’s who keeps pushing her to sell up at a loss, and the young security specialist, Dakota ( Henry Hunter Hall ), offers overpriced home security and a very attentive eye on 16-year-old Ellie. Even the private detective Dean hires to look into the threats, Theodora ( Noma Dumezweni ), comes across as a little too enigmatic for her own good.

A sweeping glance over the above paragraph reveals how many fine talents are involved in this project, but it remains Cannavale’s show all the same. He really seems to get Murphy’s signature blend of horror and dark humor, but he also has a thinly-veiled air of menace about him, as with his overprotectiveness around Ellie’s fashion choices and the way he spirals into spiteful tirades against the neighbors. Watts is an assured presence, but she’s given less to actually play, and she’s intended to be a beacon of surety in the midst of wild eccentricity, so it’s a thankless part that she’s nonetheless great in.

Fans of Murphy’s won’t have any trouble recognizing the usual beats in both tone and structure, but there’s a welcome vein of ambiguous supernaturalism in The Watcher that gives it something a lot of true-crime stories lack. Often, the piano music tinkling through old intercoms, neighborhood weirdos hiding in dumbwaiters, and rumors of blood sacrifice cults feel more like the work of Mike Flanagan , or Murphy’s more obviously fictional stuff like American Horror Story , than something that actually happened to real people. It makes for a disconcerting vibe that helps the show deliver Halloween thrills without veering too far away from the core horror of being watched by persons unknown and unseen. It’ll be mega-popular, make no mistake about that, and unlike Monster , I’d say it probably deserves the attention.

You can stream The Watcher exclusively on Netflix.

Additional reading:

Highest Rated and Best Netflix Series
Is The Watcher based on a true story?
The Watcher season 1, episode 1 recap .

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Jonathon is one of the co-founders of Ready Steady Cut and has been an instrumental part of the team since its inception in 2017. Jonathon has remained involved in all aspects of the site’s operation, mainly dedicated to its content output, remaining one of its primary Entertainment writers while also functioning as our dedicated Commissioning Editor, publishing over 6,500 articles.

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The Watcher (2022) Netflix Miniseries: Review, Recap & Ending Explained – Who was The Watcher?

Last month, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan adapted one of the most notorious serial killer stories in the form of “ Dahmer: Monster, A Jeffrey Dahmer story ” where Murphy took a rather grounded, documentary-style storytelling approach instead of his usual pulpiness and hyper-dramatization which worked brilliantly. The same duo is back at it again with another true story adaptation for Netflix but Murphy’s signature style is clearly visible in this one and that does seem like a decision that mostly works.

The Watcher (2022) Netflix Miniseries Recap:

Nora (Watts) and Dean (Cannavale) Brannock along with their teen daughter Ellie (Isabel Gravitt) and son Carter (Luke David Blumm) move into 657 boulevard, an absolutely gorgeous house in the Westfield neighborhood of New Jersey. Their goal is to have a plushy, quiet life in the suburbs after finally leaving the hustle and bustle of their humble city life in New York. They had to drain all their savings to buy their dream house but Dean is about to make a partner in his law firm so they hope to be alright financially.

But for the Brannock family, the bliss of their new home is short-lived as they start to receive strange letters from someone calling themself “The Watcher” and claiming to be obsessed with their house. The letters get creepier with each new one and start talking about “young blood” referring to the Brannock children and how greed has brought the family into the house.

Dean has his own moment of extremely unpleasant, argumentative encounters with Mitch and Mo and their other closest neighbor Jasper (Terry Kinney), and his sister Pearl (Farrow). These four seem like suspects although no hard evidence is found against any of them. However, thanks to an unfortunate murder-suicide, Mitch and Mo die soon. But that turns out to be a scam run by their loose cannon son Christopher to get insurance money.

A strange visit from a man named John (Mantello) who claims to be the building inspector further confuses Dean when he finds out from the contractor who is looking after the renovation that there is no such man. When Theodora tells him about a man named John Graff who used to live in the house and murdered his entire family before disappearing back in 1995, Dean is convinced that the man he met is none other than the same John Graff himself.

The Watcher (2022) Netflix Miniseries Recap Review Ending Explained (1)

This stains both his reputation at his work and his marriage with Nora and he is even more surprised to find out the girl in the video is wearing the exact same clothes that John Graff’s daughter Pat Graff was wearing at the time of her death. To make matters worse, Theodora suspects Dean of being The Watcher, and Nora seems to be really convinced by her theory.

Meanwhile, Karen keeps persuading Nora to sell the house at a lower price and upon seeing Karen with Chamberland at the country club Nora suspects the two of them of being together in it. She calls Dean and the two of them publicly accuse Karen and Chamberland of everything. They soon find a hidden tunnel under their house along with a room that seems like someone is living in it. To the audience, someone is revealed to be the man named John who visited Dean, and Pearl also seems to be involved in it. Thanks to their fight, Chamberland refuses to help Nora and Dean further regarding the hidden tunnel or anything else.

The Watcher (2022) Netflix Miniseries Ending, Explained:

Unable to deal with incessant troubles regarding the house which was supposed to bring them peace, the couple decide to sell it. But they find it hard because sinister rumors about the house have become public thanks to Karen who is taking it out against them for obvious reasons. Karen eventually manages to buy the house but she is soon terrorized by someone and starts receiving a threatening letter from “The Watcher”. This eventually makes her sell the house as well.

Who was The Watcher?

Staying faithful to the source material, the show also doesn’t reveal anyone to be “The Watcher” and in the end, it becomes more about the anxiety and paranoia all the house owners had to go through and how it affected them.

Nora handles things much better than her husband. She thrives in her career as a pottery artist and seems to leave everything regarding “The Watcher” behind. But it is very much possible for her to be the one who is traumatizing Karen and sending her the letter.

If we really have to predict then the four members of the Brannock family and Theodora can be ruled out. But every other remaining character can be “The Watcher” as all of them have given the audience certain indicative moments of endless speculation.

While remaining mostly faithful to the original source material other than changing the name of the family to Brannock from Broaddus; Murphy and Brennan do make some creative changes here for the sake of keeping the narrative exciting and engaging for the viewers, which seems to be fitting in the context of the show.

The writing and editing of the show could have been a little better though as some of the supporting characters and story arcs are not fully fleshed. But the absolutely wonderful supporting cast makes up for that with their performances. Coolidge, Farrow, Dumezweni, Mantello, and Martindale are particularly brilliant although Kind is pretty much wasted.

With the amount of content Ryan Murphy is delivering in a very short span of time (American Horror Stories, Dahmer, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone , and the upcoming season 11 of American Horror story; all within two months) there is always a risk in maintaining quality, but The Watcher turns out to be yet another winner by Murphy. There is no stopping this man from scaring the shit out of the audience in the season of Halloween, after all.

The Watcher (2022) Show Links – IMDb Show Cast – Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Coolidge, Margo Martindale, Mia Farrow, Noma Dumezweni

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The Watcher

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The true story behind Naomi Watts' new The Watcher series is legit nightmare fuel

Watts will star with Bobby Cannavale in Ryan Murphy's adaptation of a disturbing story about a stalker terrorizing a couple who've moved into their dream home.

Across her 35-year career in movies, Naomi Watts has been told by a preteen ghost that she'll die in seven days, held on for dear life as a giant gorilla tossed her around like a rag doll, and fled the clutches of Mother Nature as a horrific tsunami ravaged her vacation paradise, but no form of big-screen terror can prepare you for the bone-chilling tale she's about to tackle across Netflix's The Watcher .

The upcoming Ryan Murphy -produced limited series is based on the true story of Derek ( Bobby Cannavale ) and Maria (Watts) Broaddus, an affluent couple who moved into a $1.35 million home of their dreams, only to be terrorized by threatening letters left by an unknown person—or, perhaps, an evil entity flung to suburban Westfield, N.J. from the depths of hell!—who addressed themself only as "The Watcher."

Below, we break down what to expect from the new series, given the insufferably disturbing tale it's based on.

Introduced by The Cut —the publication which also first published nonfiction stories that eventually became projects like Jennifer Lopez's Hustlers and Shonda Rhimes' upcoming Anna Delvey series —in 2018, writer Reeves Wiedeman's chronicle follows the Broaddus family as they relocate to their New Jersey paradise in the summer of 2014, where they're met with an onslaught of handwritten notes claiming to be from the abode's decades-long guardian.

"I asked the Woods to bring me young blood and it looks like they listened," one note said, naming the home's previous owners and seeming to reference the Broaddus' three children, then ages 5, 8, and 10. A later note read: "Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me."

Derek eventually discussed the ongoing notes with the prior owners, the Woods family, who said they hadn't received a single correspondence across their 23-year tenure at the home—until a few days prior to their move-out date. Clearly, "The Watcher" had been watching, very closely.

The notes became more intrusive as the weeks went on, revealing increasingly intimate details about the family's lives thanks to, as "The Watcher" said, "all of the windows and doors in 657 Boulevard" that allowed them to "watch" and "track" the Broadduses from outside. watch you and track you as you move through the house.

"The workers have been busy and I have been watching you unload carfuls of your personal belongings," one note, which addressed Maria and Derek by name for the first time, said. "The dumpster is a nice touch. Have they found what is in the walls yet? In time they will."

After going to the police, the Broadduses were instructed to keep the news from their neighbors as not to tip off a potential perpetrator that an investigation was ongoing. They were also clued into the odd history of the Langford family, a collection of peculiar, elderly siblings who lived with their 90-year-old mother in the house next door to the Broadduses. They'd occupied the property since the 1960s—the time period in which the father of "The Watcher" first occupied their home as well, according to earlier letters. A subsequent investigation—including nighttime observation periods and lots of secret cameras set up around the perimeter and fake letters to the Langfords informing them that they planned to demolish their home—yielded no concrete findings, and the mystery continued as the family moved in with Maria's parents to escape the horrors of their 657 Boulevard house.

In 2015, they reportedly filed a legal complaint against the Woods family claiming that the prior owners should've informed them of the single letter they received. Their tale eventually went viral, with The Tamron Hall Show and TODAY detailing it on TV.

The aftermath

With no leads on the case, residents who lived nearby began to speculate that the Broadduses had sent the letters themselves in an attempt to either increase the value of their home or get a movie deal (Lifetime eventually made a film inspired by the events, without the couple's involvement).

In 2016, the family put the home back on the market, and it was clear their fellow suburbanites were watching as well—perhaps more so than "The Watcher." Local message boards and Facebook groups erupted with criticism, accusing the family of conjuring the scheme to drive up sale prices, and turning on members of their own online community if their theories became out-of-sync with the dominant ideology.

The Broadduses partnered with a real estate lawyer, who came up with the idea to sell the property to a developer, who'd demolish the home and build two new ones in its place, though a four-hour hearing on the matter ended in the local board rejecting the proposal. They decided to rent the property to another family, who soon found the most threatening note of all:

"Maybe a car accident. Maybe a fire. Maybe something as simple as a mild illness that never seems to go away but makes you fell [sic] sick day after day after day after day after day," the letter read, seeming to indicate manners of death that could befall the Broadduses as revenge. "Maybe the mysterious death of a pet. Loved ones suddenly die. Planes and cars and bicycles crash. Bones break." Soon after, other families in Westfield began receiving letters, too.

And now, the story has fallen into the Oscar-nominated hands of Watts and Murphy, who's proven his hand in crafting appealing American Horror stories across nine seasons of the popular FX anthology.

Why you should be scared

The perpetrator—whoever it is—is apparently still at large, searching for young blood and demonic delight. Have fun sleeping tonight. :)

Hear more on all of today's must-see picks, plus what Kevin Hart has been watching lately, in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.

The Watcher

Dean and nora brannock have just bought their dream home. unfortunately, a mysterious stalker and unfriendly neighbours don't want them there in the terrifying true story, the watcher..

Created by Ryan Murphy & Ian Brennan, The Watcher is their latest collaboration. Think along the lines of American Horror Story , and you have an idea of what you're in for.

The series is based on the true infamous story of the “Watcher” house in New Jersey.

What Is The Watcher About?

Nora (Naomi Watts) and Dean Brannock (Bobby Cannavale) have just purchased their suburban dream home in the idyllic Westfield, New Jersey.

After putting all of their savings into closing the deal, the family moves in, but they soon realise the neighbourhood is less than welcoming.

There’s a wacky older woman named Pearl (Mia Farrow) and her brother Jasper (Terry Kinney), who sneak into the Brannock’s house and hide in their dumbwaiter.

Then there’s Karen (Jennifer Coolidge), the real estate agent and an old friend of Nora’s, who makes them feel like they don’t really belong, encouraging them to sell up.

And if that wasn't enough, they must contend with nosy neighbours Mitch (Richard Kind) and Mo (Margo Martindale), who don’t seem to understand property lines.

Their icy welcome quickly turns into a full-blown living hell when ominous letters from someone calling themself “The Watcher” start arriving.

Terrorizing the Brannocks to their breaking point, the neighborhood’s sinister secrets come spilling out.

The Watcher Trailer

Is The Watcher Worth Watching?

In November 2018, New York Magazine published The Watcher. It chronicled the true story of a New Jersey family being stalked by a mysterious, threatening letter writer.

The Broaddus family bought their dream house, a six-bedroom home at 657 Boulevard and were doing some renovations before they moved in.

That's when they discovered a white envelope addressed to “The New Owner”.

It was the beginning of a nightmare with a mysterious stalker, strange neighbors and sinister threats.

So how did the whole story unfold?

Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan have done another incredible job of bringing this true story to life.

It is brilliant. Told over seven episodes, The Watcher will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It is so creepy and so tense that at times, you just can't bare to see the Brannock family being tormented so mercilessly.

As always, the casting is totally on point. Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Coolidge and Richard Kind are superb.

The production, the cinematography, and the whole vibe of The Watcher are perfect, and it is a limited series that is definitely worth watching.

But as good as The Watcher is, it is also a very loose re-telling of the original story.

A lot of the drama is fiction for the purpose of amping up the show, so while yes, there was ‘The Watcher', he/she has never been found and a lot of the events in the series did not happen.

The Watcher Release Date

Filming for The Watcher began in September 2021, wrapping in February 2022.

Netflix then announced that the limited series would be released on October 13th 2022.

The Watcher Netflix Main Cast Members

Naomi Watts ( The Impossible ) as Nora Brannock

Bobby Cannavale ( Nine Perfect Strangers ) as Dean Brannock

Mia Farrow as Pearl

Noma Dumezweni as Theodora

Joe Mantello

Richard Kind as Mitch

Terry Kinney as Jasper

Margo Martindale as Mo

Jennifer Coolidge ( The White Lotus ) as Karen Calhoun

Henry Hunter Hall

Luke David Blumm

Apple TV brings you the future of television, right at your fingertips. Immerse yourself in the world of laughter, inspiration, and heartwarming moments with the critically acclaimed show, Ted Lasso, and a plethora of other captivating content.
Star studded, award winning series and films.

Welcome to a world of boundless entertainment, where thrilling stories come to life at your convenience. Amazon Prime Video invites you to explore a universe of gripping narratives, including the adrenaline-pumping series, "Reacher," and an extensive selection of captivating content that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Additional benefits of Prime Membership: Music Streaming Service, Amazon Photos and Exclusive Offers

Delve into a world of original storytelling, where Disney's creativity knows no bounds. With Disney+ Originals like "The Mandalorian," "WandaVision," and "Loki," you'll witness new narratives and characters that expand the enchanting tapestry of the Disney universe.
Great collection of Kids series and movies.

Brilliantly Told Story
Edge Of The Seat Creepy
Incredible Ensemble Cast
It's A True Story (arghhh)
Big Question - Why Do They Stay???

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KE October 23, 2022, 7:16 pm

Utter nonsense! We have better things in this world to shine a spotlight on than Ken & Karen buying a house that’s beyond their means & very obviously fabricating nonsense to raise funds for the Next how they can barely afford. The young Black entrepreneur lusting over their daughter really takes the racial bias cake! What young person of color after jumping dozens of life’s to finally have something of their own would suddenly lose focus from a waif exiting the water ?! Netflix STOP IT. Get more than a sprinkling of people of color on your staff and DO BETTER!

Nrusso October 14, 2022, 12:38 pm

the only factual thing about this movie is the letter. everything else is false. Westfield does not have a lake!!

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When many of us think of vacationing on the Mediterranean, the first things that come to mind might be the gorgeous blue-green crystalline waters, the picturesque villages anchored on the shoreline, and the many variations of seafood fare available within walking distance. Perhaps that’s part of what inspired rockstar John Allman (Harry Connick Jr.) to escape the pressures of the music business to catch a little rest and relaxation on the scenic island of Cyprus. Unfortunately, he’s confronted with a more serious problem when the house on a cliff he purchased turns out to be a destination for people looking to end their life. As he tries to connect with other locals about what he can do to stop the practice, he meets an aspiring singer named Melina ( Ali Fumiko Whitney ) and her mother, Sia ( Agni Scott ), an accomplished doctor on the island who once had a relationship with John many years before – and who now has another chance at love.

Writer-director Stelana Kliris follows the well-worn beats of a romantic comedy with her follow-up to her 2014 feature debut, “Committed.” In “Find Me Falling,” she gives the audience a few surprises and instead follows a predictable story of a long-delayed romantic reconnection featuring two handsome leads. However, the subplot about suicide just outside John’s doorstep feels strangely glib, dampening the mood of this escapist rom com from the jump: the movie is called “Find Me Falling” afterall. In some scenes, this plot detail is played for laughs, like when an exasperated John scolds a man looking downcast and heading to the cliff, “Now is not a good day to die!” Embarrassed, the man turns back, and John continues his emotional conversation with Sia. Other moments are much more sympathetic, like when John coaxes a scared young woman off the edge and promises to help her, but it’s a tonal whiplash from nights spent at a music-filled taverna, getting sunburnt on the beach, or reigniting a long-lost romantic flame.

As a tired rockstar looking to get away from it all, Harry Connick Jr. looks a little too polished but acts appropriately tired by all the small town mishegoss he finds on arrival. He seems embarrassed that people recognize him and is maybe one of the most unpretentious rock stars ever written for a movie. As Sia, Agni Scott plays the part of the accomplished woman who soldiered on with her career and single motherhood well, and she struts through the film with a stylish sense of nonchalance. It’s a performance that’s almost too cool and aloof, because as their characters may verbally pine for each other, the physical chemistry feels less evident, and their moments of passion look less exciting than some of their arguments.

However, Kliris’s script doesn’t just center on the film’s two lovebirds. She builds out Sia’s relationship with her daughter, Melina; her concerned sister Koula ( Lea Maleni ), who is weary of this dashing stranger who’s returned to Cyprus for what may be more than a change of scenery; and the family’s matriarch Marikou (Aggeliki Filippidou), who is always on hand to lend an ear, share her wisdom with her family, and cool tempers between family members. There’s a loving familial dynamic that develops alongside the romance that also grounds the story in the culture and place, not just using it as a narrative backdrop. Even Captain Manoli ( Tony Demetriou ) plays a vital role in giving John a tour of the town, introducing him to the taverna where John sees Sia for the first time in years, and has his own issues that John then helps him and his family in return.

By the end, “Find Me Falling” lands on uneven ground. It’s as if this lighthearted romantic comedy has its frothy bubbles burst by the sudden encroachment of dramatic interruptions and uninspired pop music and lyrics (John’s big hit is called “Girl on the Beach” and the song does not sound better than the title). It’s an odd choice that may affect some viewer’s expectations for a frivolous getaway romance, like using lime for a Greek dish that calls for lemon. It changes the profile of the movie, leaving an aftertaste that feels slightly off an otherwise decent meal.

Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to RogerEbert.com .

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The best sci-fi movies to watch on Netflix this July

From over-the-top action to spine-chilling horror beyond the stars

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Milla Jovovich as Alice firing guns with explosions in the background in Resident Evil: Retribution.

The summer continues on, with hotter and hotter new releases inching closer to us on the horizon. Deadpool & Wolverine comes out next week, followed by Borderlands early next month and Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus slinking up not far from behind. In the meantime though, if you’re looking for the best sci-fi movies to stream on Netflix from the comfort of your home in July, our picks for this month are the ones to watch.

We’ve got an underappreciated sci-fi horror film starring Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal that flew under most people’s radar when it was first released, an unfairly maligned sequel to a series based on one of the greatest survival horror game franchises of all time, and a cyberpunk classic that changed the face of Hollywood action films forever.

Let’s see what this month has to offer!

Editor’s pick: Life

A man in an astronaut helmet screaming while illuminated by bright red lights in Life.

Director: Daniel Espinosa Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada

Incorrectly assumed by Reddit-brained trailer fiends to be a covert Cloverfield -style prequel to Venom ( only one franchise could pit astronauts against alien goo!!! obviously!!! ), it turns out the 2017 sci-fi thriller Life didn’t need to connect to comic book IP to thrill. Written by pro genre-blenders Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick ( Deadpool , Zombieland ), it’s part Alien , part Gravity , and a steady blast of mayhem. From space station disasters to violent encounters with an E.T., Daniel Espinosa’s controlled direction genuinely shocks, with a first hour that made me yelp out loud a few times.

Life starts on an action beat: a team of astronauts are preparing to “catch” an unmanned probe hurtling back from Mars before it collides with the International Space Station. Averting disaster, they bring the probe on board only to discover that one of the soil samples contains a dormant single-celled organism. A jolt by the ISS’ local exobiologist ignites the growth process, and soon the ship has a cute new alien pet they name “Calvin.” Unfortunately, Calvin evolves – in strength, in sentience, and in a desire to kill everyone on board.

For such a star-studded cast, Life hinges on the deglamorization of familiar faces by way of claustrophobic horror. Reynolds screams in terror. Gyllenhaal sweats a gallon. Ferguson gasps for air as she does everything possible to prevent the alien from making it Earth. And they all play second fiddle to Calvin, who, like a baby Starro , breaks limbs and consumes the ship’s electricity to accelerate its growth. The back half is familiar territory, but Espinosa keeps our blood-pumping through set-piece craft, while Reese and Wernick provide a few much-needed twists. Life is a polished-but-nasty B-movie that’s perfect for the summer. —Matt Patches

Resident Evil: Retribution

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson Cast: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Kevin Durand

I feel like I have to give this disclaimer every time I recommend these movies, but they get an unfairly bad rap. No, I have no connection to the video game franchise. Yes, I understand the movies don’t perfectly adapt the games. But I don’t care, and neither should you, because this franchise rules . Divorce yourself of expectations of the games and enjoy Retribution as a formally bold, gleefully ridiculous blockbuster sci-fi action movie that happens to be set in an exaggerated rendition of the Resident Evil universe.

Retribution , arguably the best entry in the series, is a remix of the franchise itself as well as many other influences – Inception , Westworld , East and South Asian martial arts movies – all while staying true to its video game roots. It has a particularly fun sci-fi concept, making it the right choice to pull out for this list. Alice (Milla Jovovich) has to traverse a series of elaborate game-like simulations of different versions of the zombie apocalypse, while other clones of Alice are stuck in those simulations. This lets the movie feel structurally like a video game, as she advances from one level to the next fighting various monsters, and even the dialogue replicates the eerie disjointed cadence of video game speech. These movies may not totally get the Resident Evil games, but they sure do get video games.

Both this film and 2002’s Resident Evil are leaving Netflix at the end of this month, so now’s your chance to watch them before they’re gone. And after opening with a fun action scene played in reverse, Retribution starts with a short recap, so you don’t have to worry about watching the previous movies first — though most of them are good! — Pete Volk

A man (Keanu Reeves) stands in a hallway with his right hand outstretched as a hail of bullets trailed by visible rings of motion are suspended in motion in front of him.

Director: The Wachowskis Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

I don’t need to tell you to watch The Matrix . If you read Polygon frequently, you no doubt already know what the Wachowskis’ magnum opus is about, how it revolutionized Hollywood action films in the late ’90s, and forever etched itself into living canon of our popular culture. You’ve heard the phrase “There is no spoon,” “I know kung-fu,” or the term “red-pilled” before. The Matrix , along with its 2003 sequels , are load-bearing pillars of modern sci-fi cinema and its latter sequel, The Matrix Resurrections , is one of the most critically divisive films of the 2020s so far.

With all that said, why the hell am I still recommending The Matrix to you? The reason is simple: It really is that damn good, even more than two decades since it released. Trends ebb and flow out of vogue. The mirrorshades and black leather trench coats of the late ’90s have taken on wholly different connotations in the fractured cultural landscape of 2024. Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” is no longer booming out of the speakers of subterranean nightclubs, and computers are no longer blocky, clamshell colored windows into a digital world of unfettered freedom and possibilities.

Like all art, the most enduring films are those that not only speak to their particular era, but whose meaning and significance continue to compound, morph, and live well beyond the radius of their initial reception. By that definition, The Matrix is still one of the best sci-fi movies of its generation, and one of the best available to stream on Netflix. Not for long, though: The Matrix , The Matrix Reloaded , and The Matrix Revolutions are all leaving the platform at the end of this month. If you haven’t seen the Matrix trilogy in awhile, now’s as good a time as any to revisit them. And if you’ve somehow never seen them, and only know about them through cultural osmosis, I promise it’s worth going down the rabbit hole yourself to find out just why that is. —Toussaint Egan

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This forgotten 2024 action movie is now streaming on Netflix. Here’s why you should watch it

If you’ve ever perused Netflix, you know that the streaming service has tons of great action movies for you to choose from. Some people, though, may find themselves having seen all of the available options, or at the very least looking for something different. If you’re one of the people looking for something new on the streamer, then you should be eagerly anticipating the arrival of Land of Bad on Netflix. The 2024 movie is set to hit the streamer on July 18.

It features an impressive cast

It knows what kind of movie it is, it features several smartly assembled set pieces, it has a genuine feel-good energy.

The movie, which tells the story of a young officer who gets stranded in a firefight and finds himself with only the help of a veteran drone pilot during a 48-hour battle for his own survival. Here’s why you should make time for this movie when it hits Netflix.

While it adheres to many of the convention of the survival thriller genre, Land of Bad is elevated in large part by a deep and well-assembled cast. Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth are the movie’s two lead characters, and Crowe ably lends his gravitas to the part even though he’s largely confined to a single room.

The two of them are accompanied by actors like Milo Ventimiglia and Chika Ikogwe, who help to ground the material in what at least feels sort of like the real world, which is no small feat considering the movie’s premise.

In an era when more and more movies feel embarrassed to “just” be an action or horror movie, Land of Bad steers hard the other way. This is a meaty, machismo-driven action movie designed explicitly to be exactly that.

It doesn’t have the lofty ambitions of some recent horror movies, and its main goal seems to be that audiences walk out of the theater (or get off the couch) feeling satisfied. It may have a few things to say about the plight of the modern soldier, but it never lets those points get in the way of a solidly built pace.

As any movie of its kind should, Land of Bad is built around several smartly constructed set pieces that, importantly, never feel like they are repetitive. It’s a movie that organically builds toward its climax, and one where the final action beats are just as compelling as what’s come before them.

There’s definitely plenty of gunplay at the heart of Land of Bad , but it’s also a movie that features set pieces with distinct objectives and goals, and that helps to make the fights themselves feel less monotonous and one note.

While it certainly leans heavily on machismo, you can’t help but walk away from Land of Bad with a sense of admiration for the men and women who risk their lives for their country and one another every day.

There’s a certain reverence at the heart of the film for America’s soldiers, and while that might veer into a more explicit political statement in the wrong hands, here it feels like something more wholehearted and sincere. These people are working together to save one another, and regardless of why they’re there, that’s something Land of Bad feels we should all admire.

Land of Bad is streaming on Netflix.

Editors’ Recommendations

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If you have to watch one (HBO) Max movie in July 2024, stream this one

One of the strange things about our streaming ecosystem is that, even when a movie or TV show is eminently streamable, that show commands way more attention the second it becomes available on Netflix. The streaming service that started it all still has a unique place in out conversation about movies and TV, and that's evident in how we prioritize catching titles that have arrived there.

Bone Tomahawk is one such title that arrives on the streamer on July 15. And, more importantly, it's not a title you should skip. The film is a Western and tells the story of a sheriff who rallies a posse to rescue his town's doctor from a gang of cannibalistic cave dwellers. Here are four reasons you should check it out when it comes to Netflix. It's remarkably graphic for a Western Bone Tomahawk Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson Movie HD

What a summer it's been for kids' movies. Inside Out 2 is breaking box office records every single day. The Pixar sequel became the fastest animated movie to cross the $1 billion threshold and could legitimately become the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Despicable Me 4 will not catch Inside Out 2's box office grosses, but the Minions are well on their way to becoming one of the most popular movies of 2024.

While animated movies are an excellent option for families, they only represent a portion of the movies offered to kids. Netflix has entire genres and subgenres dedicated to children, from comedies and dramas to fantasy and sci-fi. Below is a list of five kids movies to watch this summer. Our selections include a popular video game adaptation, a sports comedy from a comedic icon, and a fun body-swapping adventure. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Thrillers are never in short supply on Netflix, but the same can't be said for mysteries. Perhaps the Netflix algorithm has ruled that mystery movies aren't as lucrative as standard thrillers. But as a result, there's no mystery tab and lovers of this particular genre have to really look hard to find one on Netflix that they haven't seen before. Fortunately, the recently released film Colors of Evil: Red gives mystery fans something fresh to enjoy.

The 2018 mystery thriller A Simple Favor can also tide fans over until Netflix decides to fill out this category. In the meantime, you can play armchair detective while watching these films and all of the rest of our picks for the best mysteries on Netflix right now.

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Still Now Here Option's to Downloading or watching The Boys Season 4 Episode 1-8 streaming the full movie online for free. Do you like movies? ✅🔴WATCH NOW ▷ THE BOYS SEASON 4 (1x8)

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'Hillbilly Elegy,' which was called 'objectively terrible' when released, tops Netflix after Trump picks JD Vance as VP

'Hillbilly Elegy,' a film adaptation of JD Vance's memoir, is topping Netflix charts in the US.
The film initially flopped with critics but has now been given new life.
Now the fourth-most watched film on Netflix, viewers are flooding it with mixed reviews.

Donald Trump isn't the only one enjoying a comeback right now.

Since Trump selected Sen. JD Vance to be his vice president on the 2024 GOP ticket, Vance is enjoying the limelight, as is his life story in the film "Hillbilly Elegy."

The film adaptation of Vance's memoir , which critics panned when Netflix debuted it in 2020, has surged in popularity on the streaming service since the Republican National Convention.

Netflix gave the film a limited theater release before streaming it in November 2020. In the weeks after its debut, the film scored a low 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, according to a web archive of the site. However, the audience score was 82%, indicating that general viewers enjoyed the film even if film critics didn't.

Four years later, the film maintains its 25% score on the Tomatometer and an 81% audience score, but it is now the fourth-most watched film on Netflix as of Sunday. Viewers are leaving a slew of new reviews. Some have branded it an "excellent film," while others said it's "maybe the worst movie ever made."

"Well done movie all around really enjoyed it! Not surprised to see the critic score so low considering the connection to JD; if it was about Hilary Clinton they would give rave reviews," one audience reviewer wrote on Rotten Tomatoes this week.

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Trivia While being distributed by a major studio (Warner Bros), Trap was allowed to resume filming under an interim agreement during the SAG-AFTRA strike as M. Night Shyamalan independently finances his own films.

Cooper : Psst! Cooper.

Vendor : Jamie.

Cooper : What's with all the police trucks outside and the cameras everywhere, Jamie?

Vendor : I'm not supposed to tell.

Cooper : Something happening?

Vendor : Don't rat me out.

Cooper : I won't.

Vendor : You know the Butcher? That freakin' nutjob that goes around just chopping people up? Well, the feds or whatever heard that he's gonna be here today, so they set up a trap for him. This whole concert? It's a trap. They're watching all the exits, checking everyone that leaves. There's no way to get out of here. It's kinda dope, right?

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What to Know About ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ Based on the J.D. Vance Memoir

The 2020 film generally follows the book about the Republican vice presidential nominee’s formative years. But there are significant differences.

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In a movie scene, the J.D. Vance character, in a suit, sits between the casually dressed Haley Bennett and Amy Adams in a row of chairs lined up against a wall.

By Christopher Kuo

Before J.D. Vance became the Republican vice-presidential nominee or even ventured into politics, he was best known as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” a memoir about growing up in the Rust Belt and Appalachia. Published in 2016, the book became a surprise best seller, offering one kind of answer to those searching for an explanation for Donald Trump’s presidential victory and trying to understand the experience of impoverished white Americans.

The success of Vance’s book led to a movie adaptation with Imagine Entertainment winning the film rights in 2017. Netflix eventually spent a reported $45 million to finance the movie, which had a limited theatrical release in November 2020 before moving to streaming soon after. Unlike the book, the film received scathing reviews from critics.

Here’s what to know about the movie:

Who made “Hillbilly Elegy”? Who stars in it?

Directed by Ron Howard with Vance getting an executive producer credit, the film stars Gabriel Basso as Vance. Glenn Close plays his grandmother, Mamaw, a loud, gruff but caring matriarch, and Amy Adams is his mother, Bev, who grapples with mental health issues and substance abuse. The cast includes Freida Pinto as Vance’s wife, Usha.

Parts of the film were shot in Middletown, Ohio, where Vance grew up, as well as in Georgia, because of the state’s generous tax incentives.

What is “Hillbilly Elegy” about?

The film mostly follows Vance’s memoir. It begins with a younger Vance (played by Owen Asztalos) biking along a dirt path, while an older Vance narrates his love for the hill country of Jackson, Ky. Alternating between past and present, the film toggles between Vance’s unstable childhood growing up with Mamaw and a mother struggling with addiction and his adult years as a student at Yale Law School. While competing for a prestigious summer internship, Vance receives a call from his sister, Lindsay (Haley Bennett), who asks him to return home to care for his mother, who has been hospitalized after overdosing on heroin.

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